The present invention relates to a refrigerating device comprising a body and two doors, where one of their respective edges is fixed to the opposite side of the opening of the body.
With such a refrigerating device, there is the problem of a beam which extends across through the opening of the body being needed in order to be able to create a support surface against which the doors, in a closed position, can rest in a sealed fashion. If such a beam is fixedly mounted in the body, it thus prevents access to the interior of the refrigerating device if both doors are open at the same time. If the beam is rigidly fastened to one of the doors, only this door can be opened if the other door is already open, which likewise prevents free access to the interior.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,098 discloses a two door refrigerating device, in which a beam is joined to one edge of the first door, which is opposite the fixed edge of said door. The beam can be pivoted between a first position, in which the closed second door rests tightly thereagainst, and a second position, in which it pivots completely behind the first door, so that this can be opened without having to take the second door with it. The pivoting movement of the beam is guided by means of a guiding projection of the beam, which can be displaced in a guiding groove formed on the edge of the opening of the body and compels the beam to perform a pivoting movement which is coupled to the opening movement of the first door.
One problem of this refrigerating device is that the beam must have a degree of play in its longitudinal direction in order to reliably engage it into the opening of the body when closing the first door. I.e. a gap must exist between the front faces of the beam and a surface of the body facing these front faces, in which the guiding groove is formed, as well as between the tips of the guiding projection and the base of the groove, into which it engages, the width of said gap in practice amounting to several millimeters. Provided a side wall of the projection does not rest its entire length in a sealed fashion against a side wall of the groove, when the doors are closed, air can also flow into the interior of the refrigerating device. The significant supply of heat and moisture resulting herefrom renders the energy consumption of the refrigerating device high.